To Us, To Love
by MaxRide05
Summary: It had been a mistake to marry her. Yet, as he'd told James and Albus, it hadn't been a mistake having the children. He would never regret that -them-, even though it had made the divorce messier. He still found himself wondering just how he fell for her at Hogwarts… Oh right, the 'monster' in his chest. Canon/epilogue-compliant. Won second place in the Song Competition on HPFC.


**Written for the Song Competition on HPFC. This is actually somewhat canon-compliant; a feat for me. My song is: Here's to Us by Halestorm.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it.**

Harry started to wind down his rather bubbly speech, raising his glass and smiling upon the happy couple whose engagement party he was at. "To Neville and Victoire!"

The cheer was taken up by the sparse cluster of invited people present in The Three Broomsticks (and even a few drunken regulars); it twisted Harry's heart to see it. More people than those currently present had expressed their happiness and such at himself and Luna starting a relationship. What was so different about Neville and Victoire's relationship? She'd been of age for a few years now and he, as the Herbology professor had fervently told his in-laws&family, had never even contemplated having a more than a teacher/pupil relationship with the part-Veela when she'd been his student.

And they made each other happy.

_That was the most important thing_, Harry thought as he sat back down at his barstool, nodding towards Neville who had his arm around a beaming Victoire's slim shoulders and nodded back with a wide, contagious grin.

If only other people could see that.

Harry smiled wider when Luna took his free hand in hers and threaded their fingers. She leaned over from her seat beside him and kissed his cheek. "That was a lovely speech, Harry." Her flowery scent tickled his nose and he had to stop himself becoming dizzy by inhaling too much, too fast just to feel a little closer to her.

"Thank you." He raised her knuckles to his lips, mindful of her sons across the room (they had told him very sincerely to 'keep the PDA down around us' 'or else')

"I only hope Neville returns the best man favour when it's our turn, Lu." He squeezed her bare fingered left hand gently. Rolf's sudden death three years ago now had hit her hard and she'd told him that, even with her boys, if she hadn't had her friends, especially Harry, she would have had an even harder time coming back from it than with her father's death just after the Battle of Hogwarts.

"I'm sure he will, Harry. He's very…dependable that way." Luna stirred her drink idly before taking her straw and sucking the liquid droplets off it. Harry felt the urge to run his thumb over her wet lips to get rid of the droplets that still clung to them. Luna, guessing the source of his gaze, brushed a hand over her mouth and smiled.

"Should I be jealous?" He teased with a smile of his own, dismissing his thoughts with an internal shake of his head. Merlin he couldn't wait until they got home, that being the apartment he had now shared with Luna for half a year.

Luna laughed and shook her head, blonde tresses swaying with the movement. "I highly doubt that, Mister Potter. As you know Neville and I ended whatever we had in the way of romantic feelings for each other years ago."

Harry's smile felt tight at the corners of his mouth. Yes, but their breakup, after two months of 'going steady' had been… strange. A bit sudden. And it had happened just two weeks after his, second break up with Ginny…

He scowled; just the sound of her name in his head bought back bad memories.

It had been a mistake to marry her.

Yet, as he'd told James and Albus, it hadn't been a mistake having the children. He would never regret that -_them_-, even though it had made the divorce messier.

He still found himself wondering just how he fell for her at Hogwarts…

Oh right, the 'monster' in his chest (he'd only just wondered about that; he'd never felt that way with Cho or Luna. Maybe it was just Ginny and her wiles. He'd heard that Molly had used less than legal and honest ways to get Arthur…)

Luna squeezed his hand as if she knew what he was thinking but before either could say anything the bell above the door tinkled announcing customers.

Now that wouldn't have been so strange if Hannah behind the bar (and on good enough terms – or perhaps just gracious enough – with her ex to let them celebrate here (inwardly Harry heavily doubted he and Ginny would ever reach such a place)) hadn't looked at the entrance and stiffened.

Dread stirred in Harry's stomach like the ice cubes in Luna's drink. He turned slowly as silence descended upon the gathering like a storm. _It had been the calm before the storm_, Harry thought as he took in the people bustling through the door, hovering just before the first booths and tables.

The woman – witch – at the front narrowed her brown eyes at the assembled as if daring them to challenge their arrival.

Ginny.

And behind her the rest of the absent Weasley's, sans the patriarch and matriarch – the grandparents.

He drained his drink, slamming it down on the counter perhaps a bit harder than necessary. Ginny didn't even look at him or Luna once as her eyes flickered over the assembled. Like a predator appraising her prey. Before the kill. Like a snake – _basilisk_, his mind supplied…

The tension between the two factions (_pro_-_Neville&Victoire _and _con_) could have been cut cleanly by the Sword of Gryffindor. The same sword Neville had used to slay Nagini...

His hand in Luna's tightened; she turned away from them to face him.

He met her eyes, hoping his message, however half-hearted, was clear; '_We could just go home right now'…_

One corner of her mouth quirked up as her head tilted to the side slightly. She conveyed her own message back; _'or we could stay. We got where we are by fighting, my love…'_

He was impressed by her resilience. She hadn't even been a Gryffindor and yet she was more so than _some _he knew…

"Same again, Hannah." He called to the frozen barmaid, who blinked and shot him a quick smile making him less conscious of the stares (and few glares) he was sure he was receiving from the con _N&V_ faction._  
_

"And me." From her place at the other side of the room Hermione walked to the bar, winking at him as she placed her own glass on the bar (which Harry couldn't help but notice was slightly half-empty. Or half-full, whichever). Going on trial separation from Ron had done her some good. She was lucky she'd had the support of both her children, unlike him with only Albus – much as he loved the boy it'd still been hard.

"Oh, so decided to join the party have ya?" George's boisterous voice seemed roused into action by the actions of the younger former Gryffs'.

"Well," Ginny replied, "couldn't miss it." Harry rolled his eyes. Hermione took her seat on the other side of him, seemingly more interested in her drink (gillywater – she was still Hermione thankfully, Granger or no) than the proceedings behind her.

"Yeah," Ron put in, "biggest event of the century this." Harry felt his muscles tighten as his indignation at his former friend's comment on Neville's behalf took root in his stomach, displacing the dread. Only Luna massaging his hand in hers kept his nerves in check.

"Glad you think so." Victoire spoke, her smooth voice unwavering at the bare face of her family's disapproval.

Harry heard a familiar chuckle. "Oh it _is_."

Teddy.

He'd nearly forgotten the younger man was also present. Well, not only that but some time ago he'd been dancing and flirting with the handful of young women from Victoire's family also attending. The Delacour side, that is. Yet Harry didn't doubt that Teddy would have done so with those from the Weasley side too if more than Roxanne, Rose, and Molly had been present (though he did see, much to his amusement, the young Lupin try it on with the former, regardless of her parents standing just to the side. Her quidditch and war toned but thankfully slightly-intoxicated-at-that-moment parents).

Harry turned to see his godson sling an arm around his ex's shoulders, resting it above Neville's own. The purple haired youth raised his eyebrows at the _con _Weasley's and Harry had to grin, pride stirring in his chest like a cub right after sleep.

_Atta boy…_

Like the Ravenclaw he was Teddy's actions weren't without purpose. The unspoken message, from _all _those supportive of the relationship, was clear: _if _I'm _alright with it… then why aren't you?_ (The latter part strictly added so as to benefit the slower ones like Ron).

He wondered what Lily thought of all this. Was she even there? Harry looked over the _con_ faction_, _holding in his eye roll at Ron's glare and Ginny huffing and turning her back to him. Like that made her more important. She hadn't gotten what she wanted so she was bitter.

But never mind her. Among all the red hair he eventually spotted his estranged daughter just behind Fred and Louis. When she saw him look at her she ducked her head, not meeting the eyes identical to her own… That stung slightly, even though the fracture between them had started because of her.

Her and her treatment of Lorcan Scamander.

After Rolf's death having Luna's son and Harry's only daughter date had been what had bought them together again. He would go over to the Scamander house to escort Lily back home (or find her first then drag her back – metaphorically speaking of course) when her curfew passed, and Luna would floo call to ask if Lily would like to come over for lunch and/or dinner and maybe get some Charms tuition after, Luna having taken over from Flitwick nine months after her husband's death. (He could remember her saying that sometimes their dreams just didn't turn out as they expected, but still for the best in a way. And he had agreed, thinking of his own position on Hogwarts faculty as DADA professor; a nice break from his–_crash&burn_–auror career.)

Then after Lily's break up with Lorcan it had come out that she'd only been going out with him to make _Teddy_ jealous.

He'd never been more disappointed in anyone in his life. (Except maybe himself when he'd agreed to marry Ginny when the _monster-in-his-chest _hadn't even so much as stirred during their time together after the war.)

He still wondered if he should thank Lily Luna for what she did. After all, if she hadn't have been so… so like her mother (and not her namesakes) then he would never have gone over to Luna's house to apologise for his daughter's behaviour when she herself had been too cowardly and teary to come with.

He would never have held Luna after Lorcan stormed out the house followed by his frantic brother.

He would never have almost kissed the only living woman he'd felt like he could depend on, and who had then depended on him.

But as he'd told Ginny over the divorce papers he'd not so much as kissed Luna on the nose when he was still married to the red-haired witch. They could call him scum, they could call him loony, and they could even call him a liar but they could never say he'd been unfaithful to Ginny when he'd still been her husband. If they did they clearly needed a dictionary handy, and maybe even a thesaurus.

Because he never would.

"Well…" Harry turned to Luna who was nursing her full glass. He raised his with a wide smile, "Here's to us."

The resounding clink of their glasses barely sounded over the sounds of the escalating Weasley squabble. (Apparently Fleur was ready to drag her oldest daughter out by her silvery blonde hair if she didn't cooperate – _messy_ business).

But still one thought echoed in his mind, reflected in Luna's eyes as they met his over the rim of his glass: _here's to love._

**Well… This was something. VicNev (which I love) is a M&MWP, so not mine. Neither is Teddy/Roxanne for that matter … **

**Hope you enjoyed. If so leave a review – its easier now, the box is right down there after all, so no reason not to, especially if you leave a fav.**


End file.
